Jays start series on the right foot
TORONTO Justin Smoak has been trying not to overcomplicate his approach at the plate.
And he’s found success in that simplicity.
Smoak homered in a fiverun second inning that forced an early exit for New York’s scuffling starter Sonny Gray, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the division rival Yankees 6-2 on Friday.
“I think the timing has been a little better, more relaxed and trying not to do too much,” Smoak said.
The homer was Smoak’s third of the home stand — he went deep in back-to-back games against Detroit on June 29 and 30 — and it gave him eight RBI’s over his last seven games.
A first-time all-star last season, Smoak hasn’t been in the conversation for this year’s Midsummer Classic after a slow start to 2018.
But manager John Gibbons said his first baseman deserves more credit.
“I know what he means to us and the team, that big home run tonight,” Gibbons said. “I don’t know who’s leading the all-stars and things like that. He really turned it on for us last year, came into his own really, and he’s starting to heat up a little bit now.
“I would love everybody in that room to get more recognition, there’s no doubt.”
Curtis Granderson and Devon Travis hit run-scoring singles in Toronto’s big second inning and Teoscar Hernandez tacked on an RBI double in the eighth as the Blue Jays (41-46) won for the 12th time in 16 home games and snapped a string of four straight losses to the Yankees (56-29).
Reliever Joe Biagini (1-5) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win, replacing starter Sam Gaviglio with one out in the fifth inning.
Biagini came up big when it mattered, striking out slugger Giancarlo Stanton with Toronto clinging to a threerun lead with the bases loaded. The right-hander started the at bat with three straight balls, then reeled in three consecutive strikes to send the 2017 NL MVP back to the dugout.
“Our bullpen did some kind of job,” Gibbons said. “Joe coming in, 3-0 count on Stanton and ends up striking him out. He got us out of that jam.”
Gaviglio stretched his streak of no-decisions to four straight, allowing two runs (one earned) and four hits over 4 1/3 innings. The 28year-old right-hander walked three and struck out six over a 101-pitch outing.
Gray (5-7), meanwhile, lasted just two innings and allowed five runs over six hits and two walks while striking out four.